Poison Edited
by TheStuffOfLegends
Summary: Sasuke's curious, Itachi is a mystery, Naruto is fascinated by dead bodies, and Gaara just can't say no to sugar. Discoveries are made in Itachi's room that lead into a frenzy of insanity that will change everyone forever. Sasuke will be traumatized.
1. Of Pictures and Poems

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or any of its characters. I just fuck around with them.

Hello there everyone! This is me. The original author coming back after two years to attempt to finish this story. My writing style has changed quite a bit but bear with me. I would recommend that you read the chapters as a post them and not just wait for the new chapter because I will be making some changes. Nothing major, the insanity will remain. I'm just going to polish some rough edges.

(Sasuke POV)

Things that you never imagined possible could happen if you are open enough to them. I learned that the hard way. I'm a 17-year-old boy named Sasuke who goes to high school like any other teenager my age that isn't a lazy ass. My family is filthy rich but my mother decided I should enjoy a more open environment so I go to a public high school that sucks the life out of me. My mother is a nice person but sometimes she just doesn't get it. Sasuke and public shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

My father is a friggin' asshole who only cares about my brother and would ignore me to death if it wasn't for the fact that I always talk back at him; sometimes without a reason. Finally in my precious (gag) family there is my older brother whose name is Itachi. I can't say much about him except that he is weird, arrogant, and freakishly smart. He's the kind that knows what you are going to say even before you think about saying it. To say I hate their guts is an understatement, although I secretly like mom sometimes. Because she's the only one who loves me enough to give two fucks about what happens to me.

In any case I don't have that many friends just Naruto and Gaara. Naruto is a good person sometimes dumb but he has his moments of brilliance. Gaara is like me most of the time except that he has this fetish for cookies and eats them a mile an hour. It eventually leads to him having this psycho look and laughing for no reason at all. It's creepy I tell you, but aside from that they are ok.

Today is the fourth day of school and I have no homework because I'm smart and great, and I already did my homework for the month. I'm not conceited, not at all.

Now I'm on a mission because I'm bored. What do you do when you get bored and you have a mystery for a brother? Yes, you guessed right. You go through his room looking for blackmail material. After all he is like 20 (that's right I'm not even sure how old he is) and if I get my hands on something juicy I could get him to buy me beer or take me to places for free. Oh yeah that would be great. The bastard never pays attention to me. When I was little he at least used to speak to me, until I turned 13, now I'm lucky if he says "hi" in the morning. Don't get my wrong is not like I care, but I mean he is my brother shouldn't he be more brotherly? Even if it is just to annoy me? Oh shut up I don't care about your opinion.

I opened the black door that had a sign that said (Do Not Enter Without Authorization) and guess what color is everything? Freaking white everywhere! You would think this a hospital, and not one thing out of place. I guess my brother is a neat freak. Gee I would have never guessed (feel the overflowing sarcasm). There is only the bed, a desk with a computer on it, some sort of cabinet with a stereo inside, and the usual mundane stuff that people have in their rooms. Since everything is so well placed it won't be hard to find stuff. My work is cut out for me and maybe the closet should be the first thing to search through.

What do you know! He does own clothes that are not black. Actually this looks a lot like a rainbow...is that a pink shirt I see?! No freaking way! _Hilarious._ My brother wears pink?! Well maybe he goes pimping himself with that shirt, but I have never seen him with a girl though. Tch, not my business, moving on. Maybe those boxes on the top have something interesting? Well I always knew I was clumsy but this is ridiculous! Why do I have to fall flat on my face with all the boxes hitting me on the head? Life is a bitch I tell you! Thank god my parents are not home that much noise would have brought them upstairs.

There better be something worth it in these damn boxes or else I'm burning them...did I mention I'm a bit of a pyromaniac? Indeed, I am. Well, well, well, looky here we found some letters and ... poems? Hmm who would have thought my insensitive brother had a soft side? What am I saying? My brother and "soft" don't even go together in the same sentence! Analogous to Sasuke and public. I'm keeping these to read through later. And what's this? A picture of Itachi and who the hell is that? And…… WHAT THE FUCK MY BROTHER IS SMILING? Woah...if I were 40 years older I would have gotten a heart attack for sure. _**Yes**_, some blackmail material for sure. Papers, certificates, blah blah, awards, blah blah, official letters, more blah blah... well no more surprises in those boxes that's for sure.

Now onto the cabinet of mystery and obscurity that might bring some sunshine into my life. Lets see here CDs, tapes, and the stereo on the bottom. Tan tan tan tan! First drawer holds...nothing...ohh how disappointing. Wow this is fun maybe I should have invited Naruto and Gaara over but too late for that now. The second drawer holds...more papers for fucks sake! What's with people and papers nowadays! Sometimes I think we might drown in damn papers at this rate.

Well the dark cabinet held nothing useful...hopefully the computer will. What kind of password would dark-and-all-knowing a.k.a Itachi choose for his computer?

(Normal POV)

"Shit this is harder than I thought. Maybe I won't be able to break the password."

"No you won't, its 13 characters long and all numbers." Proclaimed Itachi who was resting nonchalantly by the door and gazing at Sasuke in a bored manner. Like the fat cat that watches the unaware canary.

"THE FUCK!" screamed Sasuke swirling around in the chair and falling to the floor like an electrocuted rag doll.

"Don't scare me like that Itachi! Dammit I could have died of shock!!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't be in other peoples bedrooms trying to get inside their computers without any permission from the owner. Plus can't you read? I thought the sign on my door was quite clear. Besides you are too young to die of shock." Itachi replied walking towards the desk and looking down into his younger brother's face with complete blankness. Sasuke looked like the kid with the prohibited cookie jar, but turned the expression into a sheepish smile very unsuccessfully. As a result he launched into a rant that almost deprived him of enough oxygen to cause death.

"Well you see my computer broke-- and I had this project --and I needed some info from the Internet. Father is away so I can't get inside his study and use his computer. You weren't home and your door was unlocked so I thought I could use yours really quick and no one would know." He answered while edging towards the door hoping he could make a run for it if Itachi got too upset, even though he had never seen his brother mad. He just didn't want to find out now anyways.

"Why didn't you wait and ask me for it when I got home?" argued his brother after sitting down and turning the chair to face Sasuke who was half way out the door. Itachi pinned him in place with an intense gaze that would make anyone turn to goo and shake in fear.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You are funny Itachi. What kind of question is that? Where have you been all these years? Have you seen what kind of relationship we have? We are near strangers living under the same roof." Sasuke's voice took a sarcastic tone.

"Oh yes I can see it now you walking in and me going up to you and saying:

**Oh hello bro what's up? You know my PC broke, I need to use yours, would that be a problem? ** and you passing by and giving me no answer; _completely_ ignoring my existence."

Sasuke rolled his eyes for dramatic effect and because of it missed the minor frown that possessed Itachi's features for a split second.

"Just forget it I'll work on it tomorrow before school starts. You keep living in your perfect life that has no space for imperfect me." Sasuke turned and left the room forgetting the mess he had made in the closet and the cabinet.

(Sasuke's POV)

Wooohoo! Yes! Score! I made it out alive and I still got some stuff in my pockets. Although I don't think it would be good blackmail material it is still Itachi's property. Wouldn't he pay to get them back? Thanks to my little act of "the hurt dejected brother" I was able to get away. I hope he bought my lie about the computer, but personally I could care less. At least I killed some time in there. Let's see what kind of poetry does the frigid asshole write?

(Normal POV)

Sasuke pulled out the wrinkled papers and began to read the elegant cursive that was spread across the page. As he read the lines his eyes narrowed and his mouth contracted in confusion.

Thoughts come by

Thoughts go by

Time is still and won't move away

Wonders of a mad mind

Rise upon myself

And leave me hanging

In weak dismay

The atmosphere changing

The air to crimson red

Like the flowers on the fields

In early may

The angels condemn me

And the demons praise

While I'm a stray

Loving and denying

My life's tragic play.

Should I even comment on how crappy the amount of ambiguity in that poem is? Well he is weird so I guess it makes sense that his poetry would not make sense. I think. Anyways maybe I should read the rest before I make a decision.

I wanna love you but I better not touch

I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop

I wanna kiss you but I want it too much

I wanna taste you but your lips are venom

You are poison

You are poison running through my veins

I hear you calling and it's needles and pins

I wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name

Don't wanna touch you but you're under my skin

I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous poison

You are poison running through my veins

Running deep inside my veins

Poison burning deep inside my veins

I wanna love you but I better not touch

I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop

I wanna kiss you but I want it too much

I wanna taste you but your lips are venom

You are poison

(listen to the actual song it's really good)

Well that was unexpected. Seems like the ice prick has a heart, and he cares about someone who doesn't like him back. Serves him right! Besides who would like an asshole like him?

Now where is the picture? Ah hah! Here it is! Now who's that kid ...FUCK THAT'S ME! What the hell? How come Itachi looks so happy? And why does he have this picture if he supposedly doesn't give two shits about me? Oh well, maybe he put it there and forgot about it or something; still...he looks nice smiling.

For the new readers I certainly await your reviews.


	2. Exercising Blackmail Rights

(Normal pov)

NEXT DAY

"SASUKE TEME GET YOUR FUCKING FAT ASS OVER HERE!"

"Naruto I'm not two fucking miles away! I can hear you just fine idiot, and who has a fat ass? How about a fat face like yours?"

"Shut the fuck up my face is fine. All the ladies are after me anyways. You are just jealous that your pale ass, and duck hair can't get any action."

"Yeah, whatever makes you feel better about your fat-face. Where is Gaara?"

"How should I know? You know he goes wherever he pleases and does whatever he wants and gives no explanation whatsoever about his actions. Besides I heard they were selling cookies somewhere, maybe he went to buy some, who knows."

"Great a hyper Gaara and an intellectual Naruto. I'm so totally screwed today."

"Stop complaining like a little bitch it gets annoying after a while you know?" Both boys where already nearing class when the bell rang. They looked at each other and time slowed. A rip-off scene from the Matrix occurred as they attempted and failed to reach the doorstep before the bell was silenced. And so they were epically late to Kakashi's class. That was not a good thing at all.

Opening the door slowly Naruto peeked inside, seeing everyone seated, and no Kakashi present he made a run for it. He attempted to ninjaescally take his seat and would have made it had not it been for a certain white haired teacher who snatched his wrist and spun him around. Sasuke on the other hand knew it was futile to escape Kakashi; so he didn't even try, and nonchalantly waltzed into the room.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite student Naruto Uzumaki and his little friend Sasuke Uchiha. What would the reason for being late be if you might be so kind as to share with us?" His face was split into a charming smile but Naruto had to blink a few times in order to check if those horns on top of his head were real or mind-made. Sasuke was glad he was not the one tightly grasped.

"Eh, sensei well you see I would be on time if it wasn't for Sasuke here. He had problems at home and came all crying and stuff so I was comforting him like the good friend I'm you know? But by the time I got him to calm down the bell had already rang and we had to run for it. It was in the name of friendship you know? I swear! Right Sasuke?" Naruto was beaming rainbows of gayness unto Sasuke. Said person however was in a rage, his vision had narrowed on the blonde and red painted most of the picture. Violent, terrifying red.

How dared Naruto say he had cried! He wasn't a baby dammit! So he proceeded to give the glacially icy-glare of death to Naruto AND Kakashi who just ignored him.

"Naru-chan, Sasuke doesn't seem to agree with your story and as a result you have detention for a whole week ...and Sasuke you have detention today after school too, but only today since you didn't lie to get out of it."

Naruto pouted and flipped off Kakashi when he turned around "Naruto do you want to have detention for two weeks?" Kakashi shot back without turning, Naruto swore under his breath and hurried to his seat. Sasuke followed at a much slower pace a scowl still on his face. He was going to murder Naruto, slowly and painfully.

As things finally settled down the door burst open and there stood Gaara in all his hyper glory grinning like he just won the lottery from a stolen ticket. He ran to his seat, Kakashi went to say something to him but Gaara turned around the 100 watts smile gone, and said "I ate 20 cookies."

As if that would answer all the enigmas of the universe, but everyone understood. Gaara was happy and if you happened to ruin his happiness you would pay dearly whether you were student or teacher, it didn't matter. Kakashi closed his mouth and just began taking attendance to calm his nerves.

At lunch the friends sat together after Naruto got rid of all his fan girls and fan boys. Sasuke initiated the conversation that had been on his mind the entire morning. He could murder Naruto later.

"So guess what I did yesterday?"

"You slit your wrist but not deep enough and so you are still alive." Replied Gaara as he eyed a cookie crumb on the floor.

"You realized you are asexual and you will be joining the eunuch monks at the temple." Shot Naruto with half a plate of ramen in his mouth.

"No and no. Far better I went inside Itachi's room when he wasn't there." The proclamation caused both boys to look at him one in doubt, the other without expression, except for a tiny bit of curiosity shining through green penetrating eyes.

"And why did you wait until NOW to tell us?" The exuberant blonde exclaimed, clearly upset that such a juicy story had not been disclosed to his curious brain earlier in the day.

"Well I wanted to show you this when I told you about it." As he spoke Sasuke took out the two poems and the picture of him and Itachi.

Naruto quickly snatched both things and announced for the whole cafeteria a "HOLY FUCK" when he saw the picture. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets while reading the poems. Gaara's reaction was more moderate but he did open his mouth to form a small 'o' when he saw the picture, and he read the poems more than five times.

The boys had been at Sasuke's house and they had seen how Itachi behaved, like he was a robot, and not even once said more than two words. Everyone had theorized for the various reasons Itachi acted like a sourpuss.

So far the best they had was that an alien from the Glasmozoid nebula had infiltrated Earth and taken Itachi as his vessel for exploration.

But despite his denial of it on a regular basis, Naruto and Gaara knew that Sasuke loved his brother. So this development was close to being of cosmic proportions impact-wise.

"Ok let me get this straight. You went into the Devil's lair, looked around, and only found THIS?" Said a very unhappy Naruto as he twisted around on top of the table. It seemed that the lack of scandalous information physically pained him.

"This is Itachi we are talking about. He should have had a dismembered body in his closet at the least. Or a shrine of some sort that worships occult stuff." An odd and decidedly creepy twinkle had appeared in the blonde's eyes. Gaara eyed him warily but chose not to comment.

"I know Naruto, I was equally disappointed. Maybe if I had been able to get into his computer, but he found me before I could do much. Besides his password was really hard." A distracted Sasuke replied as his eyes swept over the flimsy papers upon the table. The redhead opposite to him frowned and sighed.

"Naruto, Sasuke, you think these are useless? Can't you see what they reveal?" He finally said signaling to the papers spread over the desk. Naruto looked confused, but Sasuke replied without hesitation as if he had given it plenty of thought already.

"Well it's obvious by what the poems say that he is in love with someone who doesn't love him back. Aside from that I don't see anything else of importance." Thin black eyebrows got closer as their owner concentrated, and looked for hidden clues.

"Well yes, that's obvious. But the picture, specifically, doesn't it show us that he does have a nice side no one knows about? That perhaps something happened to him that made him change? And this love he has, it doesn't sound like he is rejected. It just sounds like the person he loves is someone impossible to reach, or someone he isn't supposed to be with. Come on Sasuke I thought that your interpretation skills were better than that, I know for a fact Naruto's are atrocious."

Thoroughly annoyed with having to speak so much Gaara shot the boy a dirty look at the end of his mini-speech.

Everyone was thoughtful after that, each dwelling on the possibilities that such a discovery could give. Naruto and introspective didn't go together very well, and soon he made a face of terror upon a thought.

"Well I sure as hell don't want to be Itachi's object of affection. I do not know what kinds of things he would try to make someone love him. But I can't think of anything remotely close to anything; he is just a big mystery and that makes him scarier."

He shivered like a naked man in the middle of a winter tundra; for dramatic effect. The other two ignored his antics and steered the conversation into more profitable territory. Literally.

"I was thinking about selling this back to him, but I wanted to consult you two on how much I should ask for. You know there is a carnival this weekend, how much would it be for us three plus food expenses?" While a material gain was being debated Sasuke began putting everything inside his bag, lunch was almost over.

"About $200 should cover it." Quickly replied Gaara who was extremely good with numbers and thus ended up being Naruto and Sasuke's personal human calculator. He was portable too.

"Well that settles it, then 200 bucks it is. I doubt he will pay that much for this, but eh I can give it a try. Maybe I can get 100 or 150, who knows, money is money in the end. And Naruto make sure not to bring a crowd of fans. It's annoying when we go on the rides having everyone want to go at the same time."

He scolded the blonde while walking back to class. Naruto looked at him with an impish smile and waved a hand as if to dismiss the worries.

"You are just jealous teme because everyone wants me hahaha, but fine I'll go alone. Don't worry though, I'll make sure to be fun and annoying enough for the both of you." The impish smile turned into a cheeky grin. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Gaara glared at nothing in particular in the hallway.

(Sasuke pov)

AFTER SCHOOL

Yes! Finally home! Now I just have to wait until Itachi gets here to start operation: "Bankruptcy of Itachi 101." The bastard probably has a whole lot of money stashed somewhere. I mean he doesn't buy anything else besides clothes that I know of. So he doesn't spend much, and father does give him a lot of money. Well of course since he is the favorite...bastard.

Now, how should I approach him? In his room? Or some open space where I will be able to run if he decides to kill me? Umm...yeah definitely an open space. The living room should be fine; I can sit, wait, and hope for the best. Dammit support is appreciated when you go to face your biggest fear. Wish me good luck you bastard reader!

(Normal POV)

30 MINUTES LATER

The door to the house creaked open and Itachi floated in like a specter; as always moving with those distinctively silent steps that Sasuke's heart kept rhythm to. Before he reached the stairs a voice stopped him.

"Itachi." Said person turned around and spotted his little brother sitting on one of the couches in the living room.

He had a smirk on his face, that didn't bode well.

Itachi wanted to ignore Sasuke and move to his room; but when he went to follow that thought his brother spoke again.

"I have something that belongs to you; perhaps you want it back….. or I could just burn it." Sasuke's tone was firm and confident, but the sweat on the palm of his hands sure told another story.

Itachi hesitated another moment, but his curiosity was peaked. He walked into the living room and sat opposite to Sasuke. Their eyes met instantaneously as if a gravitational pull occurred naturally.

"What is it?"

Sasuke realized he wouldn't be ignored this time. Defying all his personality traits he gave Itachi a bright smile while he pulled out two sheets of paper, and a photo. He held them up in the air on Itachi's clear line of sight.

"Do you recognize this?" Sasuke's smirk was back at full force. He felt in control, he was holding the pace of the negotiations. Although in the back of his mind he felt slightly uncomfortable; not being able to read any kind of rage or reaction whatsoever on Itachi's face. Was the man made of stone? Or were these things not important enough?

Itachi remained quiet. He eyed the items knowing full well what they were. He had known Sasuke had taken them after checking his things the day before. Itachi had been at a loss as to why they had been taken, but he had an idea now.

"Yes." He responded. There was no point in prolonging this. Whatever Sasuke wanted would be given anyways. Itachi would retrieve his possessions regardless of cost. They were precious to him; Sasuke did not need to know that though.

"Well do you want them back?" Some doubt had begun to wrap around Sasuke's words. His eyes were beginning to stray from Itachi's face, unable to maintain the contact.

"Yes." Itachi idly wondered what would be asked of him. Who would have known; the Uchiha Sasuke was a hustler. If Itachi had been another person he might have smiled at the thought.

"Okay. Well there are two things you must do to get them back. One is to answer me why you hate me." The question made Itachi fix his eyes intently on Sasuke's. The younger man felt like he was drowning in the darkness that enveloped him, or maybe he was floating. His senses were disturbed by the intensity of Itachi's gaze. Time slaved away, so excruciatingly slow in the silence.

"I do not hate you."

Sasuke ignored the way those words had shaken every portion of his body like a 10.0 Richter scale earthquake, and marched on with his self-righteous anger.

"Then why since my 13th birthday did you stop speaking to me? You just ignore me all the time! Why won't you be my brother and my friend? Like everyone else in their families, and not some stranger, don't you care about me at all?" His voice had fallen to almost a whisper with the last words. His throat felt dry and oddly constricting, but his moment of emotion was quickly erased by Itachi's next words.

"Is answering that the second condition for getting my things back?"

The ice behind the words made Sasuke subconsciously recoil. He remembered what he had said, and also what he was supposed to be asking for. Not some meaningless question he didn't care to know the answer of. The Nile isn't just a river in Egypt.

The strange mood that had taken hold of the living room suddenly lifted, and the usual detachment invaded the space.

"Err… no, actually you have to pay me $200 too."

To Sasuke it seemed not only necessary, but also ideal to just blurt out his demand. It's not like he really expected to be heeded. His surprise when Itachi reached for his pocket without a moment of hesitation bordered on comical. A close observer might have detected small spasms of shock upon his body. Sasuke mentally slapped himself. What had happened to all that coolness about being in control of negotiations?

"Here." Itachi had stood up and offered the money with one hand while the other lay open awaiting the stolen property. Sasuke stood uncertainly and gradually approached his brother with downcast eyes. He didn't want Itachi to see the glee of victory in them.

It didn't matter if he gave the papers away since he had made copies of everything for safekeeping, and other possible future uses. He marveled at his ability for business.

The moment their hands touched Sasuke couldn't help but to take a minute to relish in the warmth. A shiver ran down his spine, and made his knees strangely weak when he locked eyes for the second time with his brother. The hands stayed touching a little longer than needed. Sasuke felt the urge to replicate the Pocahontas movie and make his brother flatten his palm against his.

Itachi had such long and elegant fingers, Sasuke felt sure that lacing their fingers together would be extremely pleasant. He frowned momentarily at the odd thought.

The touch was forcibly ended when Itachi abruptly pulled away as if waking from a trance. Without a word he turned and walked away, a little faster than usual.

Sasuke stood there looking at his hand, a small smile dancing on his lips. It had been almost four years since he had touched his brother. It felt peculiarly familiar and comforting to touch that soft skin again. Despite how he might act cold and distant, Itachi's hand had been warm and inviting.


	3. Espionage

To those generous souls that blessed me with reviews thank you, thank you, thank you! Even if it is only one review, you guys have no idea how motivated that makes a writer feel. On a completely unrelated note Pandora Hearts is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

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**THE NEXT DAY**

"SASUKE! TEME! MOVE YOUR LAZY ASS! I DON'T WANT TO BE LATE AGAIN!" Shouted an irritated Naruto, arms wildly spinning about in emulation of an electronic fan.

"Naruto if you weren't so dense you would realize we are 25 minutes early, and stop screaming, I can hear you just fine." Sasuke sounded too tired to be dealing with an over energetic Naruto at 7 in the morning. His hand covered his face for a few moments attempting to make reality disappear, and his headache with it. He had slept so badly. A restless feeling had kept him awake almost the entire night. The fact that he couldn't find the reason behind it drove him even more insane.

Gaara popped seemingly out of nowhere and made Naruto scream like a girl. He also found it necessary to ask about the event Sasuke had mentally suppressed. Or tried to avoid thinking about the entire night, was he missing some kind of connection with something there?

"So, how did it go with the Devil a.k.a. Itachi?" The redhead eyed Naruto with a somewhat wary air as he watched him dangle from the side of the bench they were occupying.

"He paid me the $200. I didn't think he would do it, but he did." Gaara was not the sort of person who made use of facial expressions, but not even he could control the small frown that appeared between thin eyebrows. What was wrong with Sasuke? He wasn't a fountain of happiness exactly on a regular basis, but he sounded unusually down. Perhaps more questioning was required?

"Did he say anything about the price?" Green eyes dipped to the side to observe as Naruto teetered over the edge as he watched avidly a group of giggling girls walking by. Sometimes the blonde was too much like an animal. A horny animal.

Sasuke shook his head and after a quiet sigh leaned back, exposing a pale neck as his head laid on the back of the wooden bench.

"No, right after I said the price he took his wallet out, counted the money, and gave it to me. Not one ounce of protest, or anything at all actually."

The concerned frown on Gaara's face became a little more noticeable. If Sasuke's plan had gone smoothly, then why did he sound depressed? No, it was not sorrow. It sounded more like he was disappointed. But why would he? Perhaps Itachi was not the only one hiding things here.

"I see. That confirms it then; he cares greatly about someone. I mean, who in their right mind would pay $200 for two poems and a picture?"

Sasuke straightened up so fast that he almost broke his back, while Naruto started laughing uproariously. Apparently he had been paying attention despite not looking like he was. He was such a sneaky fox.

"You mean it was a test? We didn't need the 200 bucks?" The blonde looked amused between Sasuke's shocked face and Gaara's blank expression.

"Yes, it was a test. We only need about 60 dollars. It's a carnival, not Disneyland." The redhead answered diplomatically. Sasuke looked annoyed for a moment, possibly for being used as a pawn, but then smirked in that way that told everyone he had won despite circumstances.

"Well I guess I end up with 140 bucks for myself. Thanks G-Man if it weren't for you I would not have dared to ask for such an amount."

His smirk dissipated almost as fast as it had appeared, and the same forlorn tone that had pervaded his previous answers showed up again in the next words. Gaara couldn't help but to notice the shift. Sometimes he seriously considered telling Sasuke to see a psychiatrist because his mood swings bordered on bipolar. It only got worse when the topic was Itachi.

"If you think about it that way, then it is true that the person must be really important for Itachi. If he paid without even batting an eyelash about it." A distressed look covered his features and Gaara had the distinct feeling that Sasuke was unaware of making such an expression.

"Great. Now I'm all curious about who it could be. Extremely curious." The brunette secretly wanted to smack himself. Why did he feel such a desperate need to know? Because it was not just that he _wanted_ to know, it was more like he _needed_ to know. His self-analysis was interrupted by Naruto's unexpected outburst.

"Hey teme! Why should you get all the extra money?! Give me 40 bucks man! I wanna buy that new anime that came out, don't be a greedy whore!" Naruto jumped on Sasuke and attempted to search his pockets while Sasuke valiantly tried to fend him off. The boy was like a dog with a bone sometimes when it came to money. Anyone would think that Iruka didn't spoil him rotten, and he was some starving hobo.

"Naruto get off! I don't even have the money on me right now. Besides, focus! Itachi's mystery crush alert here! We have to find out who it is. Maybe we can help him get with her, and maybe, hopefully, he'll turn human again. He could even possibly be a nice brother to me." It was all stated in almost one breath.

Sasuke realized after he had said it, that it was an incredibly brilliant idea. His eyes widened a fraction while his brain processed it. Why had he not thought of it before? Oh yeah, he was too busy focusing on his own confusing thoughts and desires. Not that he had any _feelings_ or anything, he didn't really _care_ if Itachi was nice or not. But it would be more convenient if he were; yeah that was it, convenience.

The joys of denial were never more fully enjoyed by an Uchiha, than when he was able to completely justify his irrationality with perfectly rational lies.

Gaara observed the circus that transpired too close for comfort and swiftly stood to avoid a collision. On the up side Sasuke's spirits seemed to lift after sprouting some self-righteous plot to assist his brother. The redhead wondered how much of it carried a hidden agenda. You could never tell with Sasuke. He was so good at lying to himself that others found it hard to discern his actual motives since he, himself, didn't know. What a complicated person.

"Hey geniuses the bell is about to ring. Unless you want Kakashi on your ass again I strongly suggest you start walking." He eyed the other two teens as they reluctantly stopped fighting. They grabbed their things and followed the redhead while maintaining their verbal assault on each other. Could those two _ever_ stop fighting?

**AT LUNCH**

The three boys were huddled together in a corner of the cafeteria plotting Itachi's romantic success, or what they thought would be success. The identity of the romantic interest had to be identified before any definite plotting was to occur.

"So...how can we figure out who's Itachi's prey?" Anyone who heard Gaara speak might have had the misleading impression that he was a mafia boss trying to dispose of a body. Definitely not playing matchmaker.

The other two males in front of him looked very business-like too. Although Naruto's eyes kept skipping to the adjacent table where an adorable girl known as Hinata Hyuga was shyly discussing history with her friends. While Sasuke looked like someone who might fry his brain if someone didn't stop him from over thinking. Despite these minor distractions responses to Gaara's question were swift. You just didn't leave the redhead hanging after all; it might cause severe bleeding.

"I think the best course of action is to get inside his room again and look for more clues." Sasuke's suggestion was met with a pair of raised eyebrows. At times, thinking too hard was not very productive.

"I think we should stalk him for a while. Learn his moves; see if he treats someone in an especial way that may hint to who the girl is, ya know? Besides it would be all movie-like. Us being like secret agents and stuff. Sasuke was in his room already, and the only thing left that might hold some kind of info would be the computer." Replied Naruto almost tripping over his words in his haste to lay down his brilliant, if merely movie-induced thought.

He eagerly leaned on top of the table to see what kind of reaction his friends would have to the idea. Okay, so the blonde was not like a dog with a bone with just money. He was like that with everything.

"For once I agree with Naruto. Sasuke if we could get inside that computer, we would get something, I'm sure. I mean you said the security was pretty tight; he must have _something_ of importance there. Related or not to this topic, we must find out what it is. Do you have any idea what your brother does during his spare time or during the weekends?" Apparently getting inside Itachi's head had somewhat equal value of delight as eating a cookie for Gaara. If his slightly psychotic expression was anything to go by that is.

Sasuke looked to the side and observed the passing students. His voice was distant when he answered.

"If I knew what he does he wouldn't be the mystery he is to me. We will have to follow him and find out. The computer problem well, I'm not sure it will be so easy, but we could try anyways. I mean if we do learn about what he does, it should be easy to predict when he will be home right?" Sasuke didn't seem too excited about trying to enter Itachi's domain. Perhaps his previous experience had sobered up his curiosity in that particular realm. Itachi could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to.

"Yes, it should, so when will we start?" Gaara had replied without looking at Sasuke. Instead his forehead had creased with an annoyed frown while his mouth thinned. He was intently focused on the way Naruto's hand was trying to sneak into his space, dangerously close to HIS cookies...

The brunette pondered the question for a moment, but seemed to reassure himself of something with a small shrug. If they were going to do this crazy stuff, they might as well start already. Insanity will be insanity. Besides he might start doubting things and back down. Sometimes thinking too much was truly detrimental to progress. So heads on it was.

"How about tomorrow?"

Naruto huffed and sputtered for a moment as if someone had tasered him.

"Hey teme it can't be tomorrow! We are going to the carnival remember?"

Sasuke threw him an annoyed glare. Leave it to Naruto to be so simple minded.

"Oh shut it, this is more important than any carnival dobe."

"SAY WHAT?! I had invited a whole bunch of people who wanted to come!" The blonde pouted fiercely. He had finally crossed the line and actually dared to touch the cookie. Gaara slapped his hand with enough strength to almost bruise. He threw the blonde a threatening look that screamed: "Try it again and you'll lose your hand!"

Naruto recoiled to the farthest end of the table, and glared at the other two defiantly. They were such sourpusses! Jeez.

"Fine bitch do what you want, me and Gaara will check it out, but don't complain later about missing the action." Sasuke stood up and gathered his things. He tilted his head to the side to hide his smirk. Naruto was too easy to manipulate sometimes.

"Well I may be a bitch, but I ain't your bitch teme! _Fine_ I'll sacrifice _my_ social life for _your_ sake. That's right, I love you _that_ much. Of course you won't appreciate it, being the ungrateful slut you are." A dazzling smile with martyr flair had taken hold of the blonde's face. He stood up too, hands on hips, beaming eternal friendship rays. Sasuke almost chuckled; Naruto sometimes was too kind for his own good.

Behind the loudness and depravity, behind the arrogance and stupidity, there was so much heart, that it was impossible to measure with words. The dark haired boy was silently grateful for the blonde's existence. That didn't stop him from further riling up the poor guy though.

"HA. HA. HA. You are sooo funny Naruto...but drop the act of selflessness. We know that you are just as curious as we are about Itachi's life. So deal with your little sacrifice." The blonde looked affronted by Sasuke's sarcasm. Gaara had already started walking away and didn't even bother saying goodbye.

Sasuke followed, but turned after a few steps. He gave Naruto a small smile and spoke with the sweetest voice he could muster.

"Oh, and Naruto? You _are_ my bitch."

A ferocious roar was heard across the school. Sasuke's name might have been heard after it too.

(Sasuke POV)

FRIDAY

Damn. I'm so excited about this; it isn't the thrill of the spying only, but the fact that even if he is unaware of it, I will be spending time with my brother. I had not felt like this before, ever, so alive and mindful of every little thing on my surroundings.

Heh. The bastard doesn't know what he's got coming. Yes, he _is_ still a bastard. It's going to take a lot more than loving someone to change my view of him. Just because he has romantic issues doesn't mean he has to be a frigid bastard with me. I need to figure out who the person is, and if possible give Itachi a little push into doing something about getting with her.

That would make me very happy, I don't know why, but imagining him with someone makes me happy. Maybe because I have always thought that aniki is really lonely. Lonely people are mostly unhappy, and despite his dastardliness I don't want him to be unhappy.

I still remember our childhood, and the good times we spent together. Well as good a time as you can have with a person like Itachi. I know I can't get it back, but I have Naruto and Gaara. I don't think nii-san has anyone. Although, I wouldn't mind offering him a chance to rebuild our bond, not that he would take it anyways. The bastard. Gah, why am I such a cream-puff?! If I don't hurry I'll be late for our first mission.

Now lets see, what I should I wear? Something comfortable and non-suspicious, black jeans and a gray tank top should do it.

**(Normal POV)**

Close to 30 meters away from the Uchiha state a black car was conspicuously parked. A redhead was at the driver's seat, a pale boy next to him. In the back was an oblivious blonde making out with a girl that he had introduced as Hinata Hyuga. Two occupants were almost in spasms of annoyance, while the other two were too into each other to care or notice.

"Oi! Naruto! Do you _HAVE_ to be doing that _NOW_? Exclaimed a very irritated Sasuke. He was on the verge of jumping on Naruto and choking him to death like the yellow chocobo he was. Had the obnoxiously blonde person not said he was going to sacrifice his social life? What part was supposed to be the sacrifice?! Because clearly the part about shoving his tongue down someone's throat had _not_ been included.

"Eh. Teme don't worry about it, I got it covered. When and if Itachi goes out, Hinata leaves, and we will be able to follow without a problem. You didn't think I would take her along while spying, did you?"

Naruto sounded like the voice of reason, but Sasuke and Gaara strongly begged to differ. The brunette rubbed his temple and looked straight ahead. He was really nervous, he didn't need Naruto messing around and making him even more stressed. Anger was not going to solve anything, Naruto tended to only get more defiant when confronted aggressively.

"With you one never knows, besides we are supposed to be inconspicuous. A girl getting out of a black car, in the middle of a deserted street, is anything but inconspicuous." Sasuke made eye contact through the rearview mirror to hammer his point across. Sometimes the blonde was just like a misbehaving child that needed to be shown the right path, firmly. Just as Sasuke expected, he pouted his infamous pout, but nodded in agreement.

"Fine, fine. Hinata I'm sorry, but I'm gonna take care of business here. I'll see you tomorrow? Mr. I-ruin-Naruto's-fun over here wants to do just as his name says." He added a cheeky grin to salvage his dignity. Hinata-chan was sooo cute. But perhaps Sasuke was right and it wasn't exactly the right time. He could get her later…

"I don't mind Naruto-kun, I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a small smile between blushes; and got out of the car after getting another peck on the lips from the hot blonde.

Not too long after her departure a red car with a black panther drawn on the side pulled out on the street. Sasuke had to strangle a gasp. Itachi was going out! They had their chance! His hands started to sweat profusely and his heartbeat increased rapidly.

"That's it! Follow it Gaara!" Sasuke's eagerness carried clearly through his voice, while his inner child jumped up and down in joy. The driver just gave a curt nod and sped to a comfortable velocity, easily keeping the distance between them and their prey. His green eyes glinted like glass with predatory malice.

After 30 minutes of driving, and a bitching Naruto who wouldn't shut up about what type of music Sasuke played. Their target stopped in front of a store that displayed its name proudly as "Welcome to Paradise" in a big pink sign, with resplendent yellow letters. The place was a kid's toys store and Itachi went in, coming back fifteen minutes later with his hands full of bags. He put everything inside the trunk of his car and drove away.

As the secret agents continued their mission, an uncomfortable silence filled the car. Naruto started to fidget so much that Gaara felt the need to glare at him through the rearview mirror. Scandalously blue eyes met icy green. The blonde yelped and embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck. What could he do? It wasn't his fault that his personality was not made for long introspective speculation! Sorry if he was not a big pile of emo like _some_ people.

"Umm… guys? What if Itachi is a pedophile that befriends little kids with toys; then takes them some place to "play", and kills them afterwards?" He stated in a horrified whisper that was met with thoughtful silence.

Sasuke looked out the window, perhaps intending to not answer the idiocy of the blonde. However, Gaara uncharacteristically chose to take pity upon the poor imaginative soul. If Sasuke was bipolar, Naruto was most likely on the beginning stages of schizophrenia. The redhead wondered where that left him in the mental diseases spectrum.

"Well we can't say not to that, but lets wait until the end to draw conclusions. I'm sure there is a plausible explanation for this." He replied while making fancy moves on the road in order to keep up with the red car. Even Sasuke, who was not generally impressed by a whole lot, raised an eyebrow to some of Gaara's maneuvers. A career in NASCAR should have been highly considered. Naruto seemed to disagree, holding on to everything he could for dear life.

Confusion clouded their minds when they approached a beige building that seemed to be a hospital. Nurses, doctors, patients, and passersby openly stared at the trio as they (supposedly) stealthy followed Itachi through the white halls.

It was more like Naruto and Sasuke would shove at each other every time they got to a corner while Gaara walked ten paces behind them. He simply followed the trail of staring people.

Itachi had stopped at an office and gone in for a few minutes. He came out with a small lady, who must have been in her late sixties. She smiled at him continuously and seemed to gently push him towards the end of the hall with her small and shriveled hands. The secret agents looked puzzled at each other but followed the odd couple.

Naruto made a crack joke about Itachi liking old ladies and Sasuke gave him such a resounding smack across the head that it resonated throughout the hall. They had to dive headfirst into a side room when Itachi stopped and looked behind him.

The old lady guided Itachi to the last room and waved him in, he entered reluctantly after looking down the hall once more. Gaara forced the other two to remain still for a little while. Since the hall ended, they couldn't walk all the way over to the end without being caught. Soon after though, the old lady walked by, apparently Itachi had been left alone. When her steps had been silenced by distance Naruto peeked both ways and tip toed closer to their target area. He suddenly threw himself flat on the floor.

Sasuke glared at the blonde for his antics, but when he walked closer he realized they were necessary. There was a relatively small glass window near the door that allowed for a perfect view of the inside, and Sasuke assumed of the hall too. Gaara and him bent down and approached the blonde. They whispered furiously, trying to decide who would take a peek, but finally decided that everyone should look. They were all too curious.

If Naruto had been a Looney Tune his mouth would have hit the floor at the sight that greeted them. The room was not a room at all, but a huge circular hall. There were beds with children everywhere, and Itachi was currently in the middle being assaulted by hug thieves. That's what Sasuke mentally called them. How dare they touch his aniki so freely while he wasn't even allowed a smile!

But Itachi apparently had no problem upturning the corners of his lips for the little devils. Sasuke's throat became a desert. His brother was smiling. Sure, it was barely perceptible, but he was smiling. Itachi. Was. Smiling. A few of his brain cells were blown to smithereens by the velocity with which the thought hit him. But perhaps more disconcerting was the feeling of wanting to be any of those kids. It was such a devastatingly strong desire that Sasuke felt the need to grip the edge of the window relentlessly in order to ground him. What was wrong with him? Why did Itachi drive him to such desperate feelings?

"Can I help you dears?" A stupefying melodious voice carried over to the staring trio.

Naruto being the scaredy-cat he was threw both arms in the air and screamed, "We have been caught!" and attempted to dash away from the scene, but was effectively stopped by Gaara's quick reflexes.

"You have been caught?" Echoed the old lady, who did not even surpass Naruto's shoulder in height. Sasuke attempted a friendly smile that came out looking like a grimace. His mind was in such turmoil over the confusing sensations that kept tearing through his chest that even Gaara winced at the weak excuse that came from his lips.

"Oh, pay no mind to him. Unfortunately he is mentally challenged." Naruto was about to reply in complete indignation to Sasuke's outrageous insult, but Gaara's fingers constricted his neck fiercely. They needed to get out of there soon, or someone was going do something stupid. The redhead was specifically concerned about Sasuke, who seemed to be looking at those kids with a mixture of hunger and blood thirst. That look could never be considered healthy.

"Right…" The old lady seemed doubtful but smiled after a moment.

"So can I help you with something? Have you come to see the children?" Sasuke looked inside the room once more at the mention of the little thieves. What was it about Itachi that just made him lose his mind? Oh yeah, he was a bastard. Who apparently liked children, and smiled at them. Disregarding common courtesy or privacy issues he went for the kill; consequences be damned.

"Who's that man?" The old lady, who's nameplate read Dr. Raleigh seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Oh, that's one of our biggest benefactors. He comes almost weekly. He's such a modest person though, hardly ever wants the kids to know that he is the one who brings the presents. We are very lucky to have him." She looked over to the group of kids that were currently trying to braid Itachi's hair with kind eyes. Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He angrily turned around and stalked out the hospital.

Was the world coming to an end? Why was it that everything he had assumed about his brother was wrong? Where was the evil bastard he had envisioned for years? Where was the anti-social sociopath? Where was the person he was supposed to hate? How was he supposed to hate someone who was _nice_?!

But Sasuke wouldn't be fooled! Oh no. It was just wrong; it was a lie. Itachi was probably putting up a show; he wasn't content with just being the perfect son he had to be the perfect citizen too!

Sasuke chose to ignore the fact that there was no one to put a show for. Especially if Itachi did not like having his efforts recognized. But if the world had decided to be the complete opposite of everything, then Sasuke felt entitled to be insane too, and make no sense. He needed to hate Itachi; he _needed_ to. If he didn't hate him, then how could he explain the torrent of wild feelings that the mere mention of the name could bring?

A little shaken about their discovery our boys kept following the man. The three of them mostly fighting with their rational side which kept telling them the person they saw at the hospital wasn't Itachi but someone else. They arrived at the next stop without further comment. Even Naruto seemed to find a need for quietness and contemplation. He was sort of ashamed about calling Itachi a pedophile before.

Gaara wrinkled his nose while he parked. The area they were at was rather run down and shady, the sort of place where organs might be bought. Itachi had parked and left the car with a small bag that seemed rather suspicious. He had entered a deplorable looking house after checking his surroundings with slightly hurried steps.

Sasuke was annoyed by the lack of sight they had of the house, but it couldn't be helped. If they had gotten any closer it would have been obvious, the place was oddly deserted almost like a ghost town. He was actually surprised that Itachi had not noticed; for some reason he expected his brother to be the sort of person who sensed being followed, there was just something about him.

After half an hour of impatient waiting the door opened, and a man of nineteen or perhaps twenty, strode out. He exuded confidence even in the gaudy set of clothes that hugged his frame. A certain level of confidence was needed to feel confident in that particular set of clothes, or so Sasuke thought.

Pale skin and black hair was all that Sasuke and his companions could discern from the distance. The man stood there smoking for a few minutes, taking small puffs out of a lazily held cigarette. Something seemed to call his attention to the inside of the house and he turned to look. Whatever it was, it seemed to elicit a good response, because he started clapping and made an exaggerated show of doing a "once over"; enough for it to evident even to relatively distant observers.

Another person emerged then; it was another male. His hair was very dark and long, almost reaching to his lower back, optical stripes of blue mingling here and there. Tight black pants adhered to his body like hydra plants to walls. The top was a simple crimson, mixed with complicated black designs that fell easily upon slim shoulders and shifted colors with each miniscule movement. Even from their inconvenient position the boys could tell that the man was wearing heavy eyeliner.

He looked hotter than the deepest recesses of hell.

After they ran their eyes up and down about twenty times the three teens in the car realized something; something that was perhaps sort of important and had escaped their attention.

The guy was Itachi... Correction. The_ GUY_ they had been _CHECKING OUT_ was Itachi...

Oh, yes. Everyone was questioning their sexualities right about; _n__ow_. Gaara and Naruto seemed to go into shock, while Sasuke's mind resembled a collision between two galaxies at epic speeds.

_**Sasuke POV **_

**Fuck.** Who _is_ that guy with my brother? And how come he looks so friendly? Dammit Itachi! Why do you get along with all these strangers and you can't even have a conversation with me?! And why do you look so damn sexy!

That's so wrong man! I'm not supposed to think my brother looks sexy! I'm not gay, am I? Hell, focus here Sasuke!

It isn't time to decide how you swing! This is a crusade for the sake of your brother, I think.

Why does it look like the only one he has problem with is me? To everyone else he is just another 20-year-old guy. What the hell is his problem? I'm his brother, he's **_supposed_** to be nice to _**me**_ dammit. I will get to the bottom of this even if it kills me! Bastard.

* * *

Okay readers. Here is the deal. People work for money, in fanfiction people work for reviews. Don't be a thief. Is it really that hard to scribble a line or two? Even if it is to insult me? I particularly like insults, or constructive criticism. I have done two chapters for Poison so I'm going to work on Resonance's fifth chapter now. I suppose that means that unless I feel VERY motivated to do the next chapter it won't be here for a while. Motivation spawns from reviews. It really does. Thank you for reading!


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